


A thousand pictures

by bookl0ver



Series: Ben Mitchell Week 2020 [4]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Ben Mitchell Week 2020, Boys In Love, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27724303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookl0ver/pseuds/bookl0ver
Summary: Day four of Ben Mitchell Week 2020"I haven't looked at some of these pictures in years."
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: Ben Mitchell Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024476
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	A thousand pictures

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking.
> 
> No warnings apply. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ben stumbled into their house with a grin on his face and a wad of cash in his pocket. He was getting too old for these games, taking the risks he did, but it was worth it with the knowledge that he could afford to take his husband away for their tenth wedding anniversary. 

It would have to be somewhere special, he decided. The Bahamas? A bit stereotypical a destination, but Callum did enjoy the warm weather. Or maybe Paris, the epitome of romance. Romance and boring history and art, time spent in churches and galleries that could have been better spent in a king sized four poster. No that wouldn’t do either. Sighing, he shrugged off his coat and looked at himself in the mirror, smiling at the man looking back at him. 

His hair was freckled with bits of grey, as was his stubble when he let it grow. He had kept his face mostly clean-shaven so that he looked younger, but Callum had told him he liked the older, mature look about him, so he was letting it grow out a bit. Little creases sat around his eyes, barely noticeable really. Ben had hated them when they first appeared, for a while putting on makeup to cover them. He smiled fondly as he recalled Callum sitting him down and pointing out the same creases around his own eyes, that they were laughter lines, only there because they were happy. After that, he decided a few crinkles were worth it if he got to be as happy as he was. 

“Enjoying the view are you?” 

Ben turned to find Callum watching him from the living room door, smile soft. He was dressed in his boxers and nothing else, the June heat making any other clothing unacceptable in a house without air conditioning. 

“I certainly am now,” He replied, coming over to place his hands on Callum’s bum and squeeze whilst he kissed him, tongue probing to find that sweet taste of hot chocolate that was so Callum. 

“How come you’re home so late?” Callum breathed when they parted, foreheads resting against each other. Ben would never get tired of looking into those gorgeous, ocean eyes. 

He shrugged, hating the way Callum tensed and pulled away slightly. “I see. Were you careful?” 

“Aren’t I always?” His blasé attitude was not appreciated, Callum’s soft lips falling from their gentle smile to a thin line. Despite his acceptance of his husband’s nature, his love of the thrill of crime and easy money, the knowledge that it was practically in his blood, there was still constant fear that they could end up separated by prison bars. “Yes, babe, I promise. It was practically risk-free. I’ll never leave you, Callum.” 

His words worked, Callum nodding his acceptance and warmth pouring back into his expression. “And what have you been up to, my dear husband?” That too, would never get old. His husband. Callum was his husband. Ten years on the thought still made Ben giddy. 

A pretty blush coloured Callum’s cheeks and he led Ben by the hand into the living room. Ben’s eyes widened as he looked around. 

Not an inch of their carpet remained visible, every bit of it covered in photos. Photos of them, from the few childhood photos that existed of them both, to those taken in the early days of their relationship, their wedding photos, snapshots detailing so much of their life together. 

“I… I wanted to make you a special photo album, for our anniversary.” Callum explained shyly. “But we’ve got so many and they’re all so special, I didn’t know what to choose.”

“Cal.” Ben turned to his husband and pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around Callum’s neck to drag him down for a kiss, holding him there as he fought the tears in his eyes. Callum had turned him into a right soppy git, he swore. (The notion that he had _always_ been a soppy git was dismissed with a scoff if anyone brought it up.) 

“God, you’ve really got them all out. I haven’t looked at some of these pictures in years,” Ben murmured as he pulled away and knelt down to look at some of them. “We’re so young here, look.” 

The photo in his hands was so special to them, the first one they had in a frame, just after they got back together in the January of that awful year. They were so happy and carefree that day. 

Callum nodded, humming as he knelt down too, looking at the picture. “I had a few less grey hairs then,” He mused. “You still look just as sexy as you always do.” 

“Hey mister, I love your grey hair.” Ben ruffled said hair, playing with the strands in the way Callum loves. “Remember, I made a vow before God to honour and protect you, and that includes from anyone insulting you, including yourself. So unless you want a fight…”

“Okay, okay,” Callum laughed, beginning to sweep up the photographs, piling them up in his hands. “We should probably get this all cleaned up.” 

“Yeah,” Ben agreed, grabbing the envelopes and albums that the pictures had been taken from. For the next hour they diligently tidied away the photos, stopping to laugh and discuss the memories fondly. Finally, they were done, sweating from crawling around the floor picking up every photograph. Ben got to his feet, knees cracking loudly in protest. He turned to Callum, who rose on his knees and held his arm out for help, giving him puppy eyes. 

“Come on then old man, up you get.” Ben chuckled as he pulled Callum upright, his long legs also cracking as they straightened. 

“Fuck,” Callum groaned, clutching onto Ben’s shoulder as he shook the pins and needles out. “We’re old, Ben.” 

“Yeah, but at least we’re old together,” Ben grinned, kissing Callum’s cheek. “Come on babe, time for bed. You can give me my present another day.” 

Callum nodded, and they headed up to bed together, hand in hand. Together, like they had been for years. Together, like they would be forever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! 
> 
> Please feel free to leave comments and kudos, they're greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Have a great day!


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